The present invention relates to a reading aid, and more particularly to a system and method for presenting textual and/or graphical information for reading.
Over the years, many different techniques have been developed and promoted for increasing reading speed and maintaining comprehension and retention of the reading matter. These techniques have involved departing from the traditional method of reading text presented in the printed page format, where each successive word is read in sequence across the page and line by line. The reason for developing the different reading techniques has been attributed largely to certain drawbacks associated with the traditional reading method which mitigate against increasing reading speed and maintaining comprehension. Moreover, the complete printed page approach of presenting text, where the text is basically static and the reader is required to move their eye along a line, can cause distraction to the reader by the entire text appearing both above, below and beside the word being read. Consequently, many readers suffer from repeating the reading of lines of text, sentences and paragraphs, which slows the reading rate and works against maintaining comprehension and retention of the reading matter during the time that the text is first read.
Alternative reading techniques have tried to address this particular problem by training the reader away from the old style of reading using machines which blank out those portions of the page not being read at a particular point in time, and/or alternatively by highlighting that portion of the text being read. A drawback of these techniques is that the text still remains passive, in that the eye of the reader is still required to move from word to word and keep pace with the highlighted portion of text. Furthermore, with the adoption of these techniques, they are highly machine dependent, and so prior to the modern computer age, were expensive to implement.
With the introduction and widespread acceptance and use of modern day computer systems, such reading techniques can be implemented at a fraction of the cost of what was previously the case. Further, with the power of modern computer systems, more sophisticated and improved reading techniques can be developed and used to improve reading speed and maintain comprehension and retention of reading matter on a full time basis, with textual matter stored and displayed on the computer terminal, as opposed to being used simply as a training tool.
With the popularity of information networks and databases such as Internet and the use of electronic mail, and mass media such as CDROM for transferring and storing large amounts of textual information, there is a much greater incentive now for persons to improve their reading speed and comprehension of textual information than has ever previously been the case. This combined with the inherent power of the modern personal computer and the visual dynamism of graphical user interfaces such as WINDOWS (registered trade mark) and other multitasking windowing environments, there is an ideal opportunity to introduce more proficient reading techniques and incorporate these permanently with appropriate application software employed for the handling of such textual information to provide a new environment for reading which lends itself to quicker practices and improved comprehension.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for presenting textual and/or graphical information for reading in a modern computing environment which enables a user thereof to increase their reading speed and maintain or improve comprehension and retention ability of the reading matter.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for presenting textual and/or graphical information for reading including:
display means for displaying the textual and/or graphical information on a display medium;
processing means to receive the textual and/or graphical information in an electronically encoded form and process the same for presentation on said display medium;
control means for controlling the presentation of the textual and/or graphical information on said display medium; and
input means for inputting control signals to operate said processing means and said control means or for altering control parameters for said processing means and said control means;
wherein said control means sequentially locates discrete and successive portions of said textual and/or graphical information at the same position on said display medium, the entire portion of each discrete and successive portion being displayed substantially instantaneously at said position for a prescribed display time.
Preferably, said control means includes centring means to centre each said portion laterally within said position.
Preferably, said control means includes application means to define the general layout of said display medium for the presentation of the textual and/or graphical information and the visual control attributes of the system.
Preferably, said application means is directly responsive to said control parameters for said control means and invokes particular control functions for defining and specifying particular characteristics of the presentation of the textual and/or graphical information within said general layout, in accordance with the setting of a particular control parameter therefor and the inputting of said control signals from said input means.
Preferably, said control means includes paning means to arrange said general layout into one or more panes in which the textual and/or graphical information is presented.
Preferably, said panes include a flash pane and a browser pane, said flash pane including said position and said browser pane including an area for locating a larger portion of said textual and/or graphical information from which said discrete portions are derived.
Preferably, said control means includes centring scrolling means for automatically scrolling the presentation of said larger portion within said browser pane and centring the row of said larger portion which is presenting corresponding textual and/or graphical information to said discrete portion, within said browser pane.
Preferably, said paning means includes highlighting means to highlight said corresponding textual and/or graphical information within said browser pane.
Preferably, said control means includes delay means for setting the control parameters for said prescribed blanking time and said prescribed display time.
Preferably, said control means includes portion selection means for setting the control parameters for said discrete portion.
Preferably, said control means displays each said discrete and successive portion of said textual and/or graphical information at a prescribed blanking time apart.
Preferably, said processing means is a microcomputer having a graphical user interface including a multitasking, windowing function.
Preferably, said control means includes a time management means for monitoring the prospective and elapsed time of functions performed thereby and coordinating the relinquishment and return of control to and from said multitasking windowing function.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for presenting textual and/or graphical information for reading including:
selecting discrete and successive portions of the textual and/or graphical information;
displaying said portions sequentially at the same position of a display medium, and
displaying the entire portion of each discrete and successive portion substantially instantaneously at said position for a prescribed display time.
Preferably, the method includes centring each said portion laterally within said position.